How to Start a New Garden Where Grass Is Growing

From my last post, you know that I want to put some new gardens into my currently all grass backyard. According to the landscape designer's calculations, I will need 21 cubic yards of garden soil to do the entire garden! I can't image moving all that that dirt into the yard by myself. I'm sure hiring a pro to do it will cost a fortune.

This is what I'm faced with now. Blah.
Need a new patio & deck too but that's for another day.

After mulling it over for a few months, I decided I needed to look for a student to do the work. So I looked online and found a young person in my area willing to do the hard labour. He gave a great price too. Mind you, I have decided to do only half the garden this year, so the cost will not be as much.

New Garden Plan A

The City suggested that I:

1. Mow the grass very short
2. Put a layer of 5-6 sheets of newspaper over the area
3. Pile on the soil until a depth of 6"
4. Cover all the soil with 3" of mulch
5. Dig a 3" trench all around

New Garden Plan B

My hired student will also be removing the grass. So, Plan B is:

1. Remove grass
2. Rent tiller for about $80 and till Earth
3. Mix in approximately 3" depth of new garden soil
4. Dig 3" trench around new bed

Less soil will mean less cost!

 I think it's doable!

If you are looking for a more intensive way to create a garden where there is grass you may want to check out this article.

A Fusion Garden

At last, Spring is here! As mentioned in a previous post, after removing our pool, the backyard is a sea of green grass, 

While looking for garden ideas, I came across something called, "Fusion Landscaping".  Fusion landscaping, or gardens, make use of indigenous perennial plants and bushes. These types of plants require less water and less maintenance than something more exotic.

The City of Mississauga offers a free plan for homeowners, of which I took advantage. Two people came to our house, and after consulting with me, came up with this lovely plan.

To put the garden in, they recommend:

1. Mowing existing grass very short
2. Layer newspaper over the grass, 5 - 6 sheets
3. Add 6" or soil
4. Add 3" mulch

We have a very large lot! I estimated that to do just half the plan I'd need about 10 cubic yards of earth! The next hurdle that daunted me was how to get the earth into the backyard.

Stay tuned ...